Wednesday, December 24, 2014

YES, I WILL SAY IT: Merry Christmas, Everyone!

By Richard Larsen

“I’m offended every time I hear a Christmas Carol, or see a nativity scene, or see a cross, especially if it’s all lit up. Even the Santa Claus and decorations bug me because I know that it all has to do with Christmas.” Such was the comment made on a California radio talk show a few years ago, by a fellow who chose to take offense at the season, rather than look for the good.

It really is disconcerting that there are some who suffer great angst over a national holiday that is intended to acknowledge not just the birth of Jesus Christ, but our humanity and commonality.

Calvin Coolidge said, “Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” When explicated in those terms it’s hard to imagine anyone taking umbrage at the celebration of Christmas.

Some are quick to take offense at various elements of our culture, and this time of year such relapses seem to increase significantly. Confucius is credited with saying, “He who takes offense when none is intended is a fool, and he who takes offense when offense is intended is a bigger fool.”

That seems appropriate consideration for any who take offense at what is not intended to offend. Some, like the aforementioned caller, take offense from displays like nativity scenes or menorahs, appellations like “Christmas Trees,” or greetings like “Merry Christmas,” and even music that may make reference to He whose birthday we celebrate as a national holiday. No offense is intended, but a free and open expression of anything with a hint at religiosity creates an anxiety for some even as our celebration of Christmas continues to morph into more of a secular celebration.

Each of us determines for ourselves whether we will be offended. And it’s not just about Christmas or religious expression; it’s about everything in life. When we are offended, we’re making a conscious decision to grant someone else control over our attitude. If we allow others to offend us, whether intentional or otherwise, we sacrifice control of our attitudes to someone else.

50 Real Numbers From 2014 That Almost Defy Belief

By Michael Snyder

2014 was quite a bizarre year, wasn’t it? The past 12 months brought us MH370, Ebola, civil war in Ukraine, civil unrest in Ferguson, the rise of ISIS and the fall of the Democrats in the midterm elections. Our world is becoming crazier and more unstable with each passing day, and I have a feeling that things are going to accelerate greatly in 2015. But for the moment things are relatively quiet as much of the world stops to celebrate the holiday season, so now is a good time to look back and see where we have been over the past year. The facts that I am about to share with you sound false, but they are all quite true. If you doubt any of these facts, just click the link on the number to find the source. It has been said that truth is stranger than fiction, and that was definitely the case during the past 12 months. In no particular order, the following are 50 numbers from 2014 that sound fake but that are actually real…

2.5 – Researchers have discovered that characters in cartoons for children are 2.5 times more likely to die than characters in adult dramas. But as long as those characters look cute and make funny noises it must be okay.

$4.20 – The price of ground beef just hit a brand new record high of $4.20 a pound. Exactly 10 years ago, it was just $2.21 a pound. What do you think Clara Peller would say about this?

19.8 percent – This holiday season, nearly 20 percent of all American families are on food stamps. But since the stock market is soaring, most of the rest of the country doesn’t seem to care.

$20 – If you want to “lock down that new man for Christmas”, you can buy a positive pregnancy test on Craigslist for just 20 dollars.

29.0 years – The average age when a man in America first gets married has reached an all-time high of 29.0 years. Thus the need for the fake pregnancy tests.

31.1 percent – An astounding 31.1 percent of all U.S. young adults in the 18 to 34-year-old age bracket are currently living with their parents. But the good news is that demand for tacky basement decor is at an all-time high.

Ruining Christmas

By Alan Caruba

As usual, those for whom laws, ethics, and good will mean nothing have come together to try to ruin Christmas for the rest of us.

Christmas means different things to different people and depends to a large degree on age. For the young it is a magical time of getting gifts. As one grows older it is a time of giving gifts and sending cards. And for the very old who have outlived many family members and friends, it is tinged with sadness. In between is an orgy of advertising using Santa Claus to sell cars and much else.

I will begin with a fulsome condemnation of those who go to court or raise a cry about the presence of Christmas displays or any religious symbol on “public land.” The Constitution does not -- in any way -- forbid this. It forbids “the establishment of religion” which was understood to mean laws that made a particular religion a state religion such as the Church of England that exists today. The fact that some courts today do not understand this does not change the meaning or intent of the Constitution.

Christmas 2014, it must be said, is fraught with all manner of threats to our society and our nation.

Larwyn's Linx: Here It Comes – McConnell Says More Important to Say “Yes” To Big Government Than Attempt to Defund ObamaCare

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Nation

Here It Comes – Mitch McConnell Won't Defund ObamaCare: Treehouse
GOP Scrooges Hit Lee and Cruz: Jeffrey Lord
Democratic Obamacare supporters: Doctors are watching: Tori Richards

The Danger of Being A Cop In The United States: AC Spollen
Jeb Bush vs. Ted Cruz: Ben Shapiro
NYC: 911 Dispatchers Chattered About How They "Deserved It": Ace

Conservatives Must Crush Any Opposition To Senator Mike Lee: CHQ
Blame Game In NYC Cop Killings' Demonization Double Standard: Jonah Goldberg
All Life Matters: Jahi McMath’s Journey: Michelle Malkin

OC City Officials: Police Union Hired Team To Spy On Them: CBS LA
Creator of Controversial Gun Violence PSA Defends Herself: Vocativ
Judge throws out AZ sheriff's immigration suit against Obama: Reuters

Al Sharpton refuses to stop race hustling protests: FAM
Dear Bill de Blasio: Start Acting Like The Mayor of NYC: Mike Peters
Editorial In NYC College Newspaper Called For Violent Protests: Lid

Economy

Irrational exuberance in action, that 5% GDP growth number is a total fraud: WyBlog
Did Chicago Public Schools Use Grant as a Political Slush Fund?: Michael Volpe
Stockton, Detroit Exit Bankruptcy with Pension Systems As-Is: F&H

Scandal Central

Attkisson: Earnest Personally Hiding Obama Benghazi Night Photos: Pam Key
MUCH More Than a Smidgen--Issa Releases Report On IRS Targeting Of Tea Party Groups: Lid
Cop Killer Ismaaiyl Brinsley Attended Mike Brown-Eric Garner Rally: GWP

Climate & Energy

Columnist Finds ‘Downside’ to Low Gas Prices, They ‘Undo Progress’ on Green Energy: MRC

Media

Al Sharpton and New York Agitators Say They Will Not Pause Protests For Grieving Cops: Treehouse
Brandeis nutjob now claims she’s a victim: Allen West
If today’s media were reporting WWll: IOTWreport

World

Marking the End of Britain: MB
The Islamization of France in 2014: Soeren Kern, Gatestone
ISIS Says It Will Conquer Europe Soon, Undertake Religious Cleansing And Kill Ruthlessly: IB Times

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Why I love Microsoft’s fitness band, and what it means for the Apple Watch: Cult of Mac
Programmatic Predictions for 2015: Liz Rutgersson
Next Bond Villain May Drive Jaguar’s Jaw-Dropping C-X75: Car and Driver

Cornucopia

Christmas From Eve to Mary: Erick Erickson
Mele Kalikimaka 2014: MOTUS
BYU Football: Safety Kai Nacua Blasted for Cheap Shots: Lost Lettermen

Image: Christmas From Eve to Mary
Sponsored by: Boehner REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS; Your step by step guide to replacing the SPEAKER!

QOTD: "Going by objective standards of reason and fairness, Al Sharpton is not to blame for the assassination of two New York City cops over the weekend. Nor are New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, President Obama or any of the protesters and activists they supported, encouraged and allied themselves with. Going by what we know, the only person to blame is the man police identified as the killer, Ismaaiyl Brinsley.

This is the standard I’ve upheld in this space for years, when one madman after another has killed and maimed in the name of one cause or another. It’s also been necessary to uphold this standard when madmen have killed for no political cause whatsoever, but politicians and journalists have been determined to claim otherwise.

The most glaring example of this was the horrible 2011 shooting spree in Tucson that claimed six lives and horribly wounded then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. The shooting occurred during a period of maximum liberal paranoia about the tea party movement. And in a riot of groupthink, much of the elite media convinced itself — absent any evidence — that the killer, Jared Loughner, was inspired by, variously, Sarah Palin’s Facebook map of congressional races (there were targets over various districts where Palin wanted Democrats defeated), Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann’s overheated speeches and other forms of what New York Times columnist Paul Krugman called “eliminationist rhetoric.”

Indeed, Krugman’s response to the Tucson shooting was indicative of this thinking. In a column titled “Climate of Hate,” Krugman began: “When you heard the terrible news from Arizona, were you completely surprised? Or were you, at some level, expecting something like this atrocity to happen? Put me in the latter category.”

In other words, Krugman, like countless others, had his explanation ready before the event even transpired." --Jonah Goldberg

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Here comes the United Nations' Gun Grab

By Investor's Business Daily

Gun Control: To some, concern over a U.N. Arms Trade Treaty set to take effect Dec. 24 is much ado about nothing. But a president unconstrained by Congress or the Constitution may try to impose severe limits on gun rights.

All treaties must be ratified by two-thirds of the Senate, and that's not about to happen in the case of the unratified Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), particularly after the 2014 election that gave the GOP Senate control.

The same, of course, could have been said about the Kyoto Protocol and other climate change deals that mandate that governments tie their economies in knots to meet arbitrary emission goals to save the planet. The Senate has not and won't ratify any of those either.

Yet a president who pays no attention to Congress or the Constitution has through Environmental Protection Agency regulations sought to impose Kyoto and cap-and-trade through regulation and fiat.

The Orwellian-named United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, which has disarmed none of the world's tyrants or terrorists, has announced on its website that the ATT will take effect on Christmas Eve, a lump of coal in the stockings of anyone who believes, as our Founding Fathers did when they wrote the Second Amendment, that guns in the hands of private citizens are the best defense against predators, terrorists and, yes, tyrannical governments.

The Obama administration and its allies at the state and local level have gone after our Second Amendment gun rights through what they call "common-sense restrictions," and it wouldn't be beyond this president to seek to implement the treaty's gun-control provisions with his phone and pen as he's done with climate change.

Under the title of "General Implementation," Article 5 of the ATT requires that all states participating in the treaty "shall establish and maintain a national control system, including a national control list."

MARK LEVIN: We Are Experiencing an All Out War on Cops

By Mark Levin

My blood has been boiling, I have been grinding my teeth listening to all this, watching this. Two dead police officers. Murdered. The president of the United States issues a statement, a written statement. The attorney general the United States always wants to debate race. Nowhere to be found but. Another coward, another phony. Yes, they do have blood on their hands; no, they didn't kill the police officers but they have created an environment with their political war against the cops in this country.

Borne out of Ferguson, Missouri where a police officer there whose career is destroyed. Who has a death warrant on his own head. Was defending himself and shot a thug who first tried to take his pistol and then returned for more and out of that -- out of that -- the president of the United States, the attorney general the United States, that piece of crap Sharpton. Wherever he shows up, isn't it funny, things happen, usually violence. Out of that we get riots. Stores are burning in Ferguson, Missouri. People are throwing Molotov cocktails. People are shooting their guns.

The liberal Democrat governor pulls back the National Guard and the police have the walk around their hands in their pocket afraid to do any thing to protect the citizenry. Borne out of what?. A lie, a fraud because Michael Brown didn't have his arms up in the air. He was trying to assault again if not kill a police officer. And at that time, as I've pointed out, Obama and Holder and their surrogates were throwing fuel on the fire and that's exactly what they did. Holder even went there to personally throw fuel on the fire.

And all of a sudden, it's not just a Ferguson problem, it's a national problem. I intend to go up, what's going on there? It's a war on the cops. They want to nationalize local police departments. Nationalize them to ruin them. To control them. Every miscreant and malcontent suddenly has his say so over how our police officers are supposed to conduct themselves. All of a sudden every cop is supposed to wear a video camera. Why? Because they can't trust be trusted don't you know?

All of a sudden all the police departments are overly-militarized. Why? Has somebody been shot with a tank? All of the sudden you can't profile. But of course you have to profile on a legitimate basis. It's done all the time. Obama does it endlessly.

We get a grand jury decision out of New York and all of a sudden the whole grand jury process is corrupt. It didn't matter that there were blacks on the grand jury. Oh, no, that doesn't matter. It didn't matter that the sergeant in charge was a female black. That doesn't matter, we only learned that five days after the fact.

And you know ladies and gentlemen, we even have pseudo-conservatives on TV and the radio. Remember they were wringing their hands. Weren't sure how to take a position on Ferguson for the first month, on the grand jury in New York. Oh, yes, yes I'm shocked by what happened. Shocked. Obama driving his radical leftist ideological agenda. Of course there is a war on the cops. There's a war on the private sector. There's a war on the American citizenry. He's fundamentally transforming America, and if you fundamentally transform America law and order goes out the door.


Read more at Real Clear Politics

Larwyn's Linx: The Race War Dreams of Neo-Liberalism: From The Sixties To Ferguson

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Nation

The Race War Dreams of Neo-Liberalism: From The 60s To Ferguson: Lee Stranahan
The Big Lie of the Anti-Cop Left Turns Lethal: Health Mac Donald
Thanks To Liberals, It’s Officially Open Season On Cops In America: DownTrend

House Conservatives Must Veto Boehner and D.C. Oligarchy: Daniel Horowitz
House Republicans break ‘Pledge to America,’ allow rushed legislation: Times
Mike Lee braces for primary challenge from the establishment: Manu Raju

Who's Responsible?: Thomas Sowell
Al Sharpton Marched With Protesters in NY Who Called for “Dead Cops”: ConTrib
Three cops killed over the weekend. Are we under siege?: Allen West

How Bruce Rauner (R-Gov. Elect-IL) can instantly become a GOP rock star: Moe Lane
De Blasio goes AWOL, avoiding families of murdered cops: Dan Riehl
Your doctor will soon ask you about guns: Dr. Mark Kestner

Economy

The magic and miracle of the marketplace: Christmas 1964 vs. 2014: Mark J. Perry
Food Bank Falls Victim to War on Christianity: MB
More of America’s superrich may be getting that way through entrepreneurship: AEI

Scandal Central

Thanks, Obama: Anti-Police Rhetoric Unlike Anything I’ve Seen in 45 Years: Howard Safir
Obama Ignored NY Police Shooting News While On Golf Course… Kept Golfing: ConTrib
Fla: 7 men kidnap, force 16yr old girl into prostitution: Local-10

Climate & Energy

All "97% Consensus" Studies Refuted by Peer-Review: Pop Tech
EPA Regs Issued Under Obama Are 43 TIMES As Long As The Bible: WZ
Could An Energy Bust Trigger QE4?: Peter Schiff

Media

Night Thoughts: Jay Nordlinger
Rangel Responds to Assassination of NYPD Officers: We Need More Gun Control or Something: JWF
Brandeis Student Leader: ‘No Sympathy’ for Executed NYPD Officers: Ruthfully Yours

Don't Worry About The Two Dead Cops' Families, Al Sharpton Says HE Is The Victim: Lid
Cop Killers number 1: IOTW Report
Time: Right-Wing Militias Are The Real Threat To Cops: DC

World

Oops! U.S. Offers $5 Mil Reward for Al Qaeda Terrorist it Released From Gitmo: JW
EU Gives Hamas Green Light to Attack Israel: Khaled Abu Toameh
IS said to execute 100 foreign fighters who wanted to quit: Times of Israel

China's leader is telling the People's Liberation Army to prepare for war: The Week
Russia’s Money Runs Away: AmInt
China pledges to help Russia overcome economic hardships: RT

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Comcast Lobbyists Hand-Out VIP Numbers to Fast Track Customer Service: Daniel Halper
Google and Facebook feel the wrath of German open source advocate: Sam Shead
Mind-Blowing Earth From Space Time-Lapses Compiled | Video: Space.com

Cornucopia

Mock We Much: MOTUS
Faith and Hope as an Economic Collapse Nears: Michael Snyder
Race-hustler, anti-Semite Al Sharpton is Obama's Go-To Guy: Ed Lasky (Aug 23, 2014)

Image: Virtue Has No Value
Sponsored by: Boehner REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS; Your step by step guide to replacing the SPEAKER!

QOTD: "Predictably, this atrocity has led to more calls for gun control from the usual idiots. Let’s be crystal clear about this: Ismaaiyl Brinsley was a felon. As such, it was already against the law for him to own a gun. He committed this crime in New York City, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in America. He had a gun anyway. His victims were armed professionals, cops, exactly the people that the gun grabbers tell us are all we need to protect us from criminals with guns. It didn’t help them. Far from being an good example in favor of gun control, this is a blinding example of the futility of gun control. Criminals. Don’t. Obey. Laws. Passing more laws wouldn’t have done a thing to prevent this atrocity." --Ace

Monday, December 22, 2014

BOTH PC's ARE DOWN: North Korea Suffering a Complete Internet Blackout

While there are credible reports that North Korea may not have been behind the Sony hack, that hasn't stopped someone from taking out the DPRK's entire Internet infrastructure.

Which means both Commodore 64's are down.

[DPRK] has just four networks that connect to the world wide web -- and none of them are working today. "The situation now is they are totally offline," Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Dyn Research told Bloomberg. After a weekend of spotty connections, the country's pipeline to the outside world reportedly went down this morning. "This isn't normal for them," Madory said. "Usually they are up solid. It is kind of out of the ordinary. This is not like anything I've seen before."

The Network researcher didn't go out of his way to suggest that North Korea's internet service is under direct attack, but the idea has some merit. Just last week the FBI officially stated that it believed North Korea to be behind the recent hack at Sony Pictures, and US President Barack Obama promised to "respond proportionally, and in a place, time and manner that we choose." Considering the events of the past week, it's an easy suspicion to cling to, but it's also very unconfirmed: White House National Security spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan stated that the White House has no new comments on North Korea today. "If in fact North Korea's internet has gone down," she wrote to Bloomberg, "We'd refer you to that government for comment."

US involvement isn't the only possibility either -- North Korean's own infrastructure could simply be buckling due to poor maintenance or, more likely, China (the country through which North Korea pipes all of its internet connections)could be disrupting service directly.

Rumor has it that the country's chubby, mass-murdering dictator is highly exercised that he no longer has access to his favorite, eh, "lingerie" sites.


Comcast Lobbyists Hand-Out VIP Numbers to Beltway Elites so They Can Avoid Normal Customer "Service"

Think it's easy being a crony capitalist? Well, you're right. It is. If you're one of the Oligarchs inside the Beltway, there's no telling what kind of favors you can secure.

Daniel Halper describes how cable provider Comcast (also known as "The Worst Company in America") allows DC's elites to bypass the company's seventh level of Hell, which is the term the Customer "Service" department prefers, I hear.

Having a problem with your Comcast cable? No problem--that is if you fall into the following categories: "congressional staffers, journalists, and other influential Washingtonians." Just talk to a Comcast lobbyist. 

In a lengthy piece on how NBC's David Gregroy was fired, the Washingtonian reveals the cable company's way of "sucking up to Washington."

Comcast also had an even more personal way of sucking up to Washington. Its government-affairs team carried around “We’ll make it right” cards stamped with “priority assistance” codes for fast-tracking help and handed them out to congressional staffers, journalists, and other influential Washingtonians who complained about their service.

Comcast, however, maintains this VIP treatment is not exclusive to powerful people in Washington.

A Comcast spokeswoman says this practice isn’t exclusive to DC; every Comcast employee receives the cards, which they can distribute to any customer with cable or internet trouble. Nevertheless, efforts like this one have surely helped Comcast boost its standing inside the Beltway and improve its chances of winning regulatory approval for its next big conquest: merging with the second-largest cable provider in the country, Time Warner Cable.


That's right: the most unpopular company in America is lobbying Congress to merge with the runner-up, Time Warner Cable.

But don't worry, peon: I'm sure they'll get to your call sometime before the NFL playoffs begin.


Hat tip: BadBlue Tech News.

BRILLIANT: U.S. offers $5 million reward for Al Qaeda terrorist it released from Gitmo

Just when you think the Left's tactics have hit rock bottom, they pull out a Tunnel Boring Machine and start digging a new sub-level. Judicial Watch has the summary of another brilliant maneuver by the Smartest President Ever™ with an assist from everyone who thinks Gitmo should be shut down:

Years after liberating an Al Qaeda operative from the military prison at Guantanamo, the United States government has put him on a global terrorist list and offered a $5 million reward for information on his whereabouts.

The unbelievable story comes as President Obama frees more and more terrorists—including four to Afghanistan over the weekend— long held in the military compound at the U.S. Naval base in southeastern Cuba. The president’s goal is to close the prison, a campaign promise that dates back to 2008, by relocating the last of the world’s most dangerous terrorists. Still left at the facility are 9/11 masterminds Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi as well as USS Cole bomber Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri.

Hundreds of Gitmo terrorists have been discharged over the years under a program that started with President George W. Bush and continued full-throttle with this administration. Intelligence report after intelligence report has revealed that many rejoin terrorist missions after leaving the military prison. In fact, Judicial Watch has been reporting this for years. Back in 2010 JW wrote about a report that the Director of National Intelligence gave Congress documenting that 150 former Gitmo detainees were confirmed or suspected of “reengaging in terrorist or insurgent activities after transfer.” At least 83 remained at large, according to the document.

Larwyn's Linx: "Operation Revenge"

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Nation

"Operation Revenge": Dan Riehl
FBI Issues Warning: Black Prison Gang Is Targeting White Cops: GWP
Ferguson Protestors Cheer Execution Style Murders Of NYPD Cops: Surge

Preliminary injunction hearing Monday regarding Obama "Amnesty" Order: CFP
WH: Courts have NO Power to Review Obama’s Decision-Making: Godfather
When the American President Hates America: Erick Erickson

Are drone strikes more defensible than "torture"?: Victor Davis Hanson
Obama’s foreign policy enters 12-step program: RS
Spy vs. DiFi: Debra Saunders

Chuck Todd: Christie will lose fight for donors against Jeb Bush: Lid
Will Bill de Blasio be Forced to Resign?: Roger Kimball
Al Sharpton Today: I’m The Victim Here: Treehouse

Economy

Living Large in a Shrinking Cocoon: Walter Russell Mead
Common Core Vocabulary Teaches About Mohammed and Islam: Sara Noble
Radical Leftist Who Chairs Department at U. of Michigan Goes Full Moonbat: MB

Scandal Central

Who is Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley— The Thug Who Executed 2 NYPD Officers?: WAW
Eric Holder’s Transgendered Mutilation of Title VII: Ed Whelan
Gun Control Cultist Calls For Children To Steal Parents’ Firearms, Bring Them To Schools: Bob Owens

Media

How Western media enable Islamic terrorism: Commentator
Marco Rubio Dismantles Chuck Todd on Meet the Press: Scoop
Sarah Palin & Ted Cruz: The Two Most Powerful People on Earth: Erick Erickson

13-year-old son of NYPD officer says goodbye to ‘best dad in the world’: BPR
Former NYPD Commissioner: De Blasio and Sharpton Have Blood on Their Hands: Scoop
Al Sharpton, racist provocateur: Gary Gross

Will Dems who blamed Palin for Giffords attack refuse a ‘conversation’ about NYC shootings?: Hot Air
Rudy Giuliani: “President Obama’s Propaganda Was Pushed To Make People Hate The Police”: Treehouse
Rev. Al Sharpton says he's received threats since police slayings: SI Live

World

David Boies: Obama Response to North Korea Cyber Attack Was Too Late and ‘Blamed The Victim’: WFB
Could US even launch a nuke if it wanted to? Growing alarm at decay of weapons command: Daily Mail
ISIS MANIFESTO: What Every American Must Know About ISIS Plan To Kill ‘10 Million Americans’: Shoebat

2 car bombs rock southern Sweden's city of Malmo: Times of India
“The Revolution in the Netherlands Has Started Now”: GoV
Isn’t it time for Muslims to stop blaming the media for “distorting the image of Islam?”: BNI

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Sony Group Chief Information Security Officer: Cryptome
Sony looking for ways to distribute 'The Interview' online: Martyn Williams
IT's leading role in customer experience: IT News

Cornucopia

NY Yankees To Pay For Officer Rafael Ramos’ Children’s Education: WZ
Project Blue Light: IOTWreport
Drive-through Jeweler: RWN

Image: IOTW Report
Sponsored by: Boehner REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS; Your step by step guide to replacing the SPEAKER!

QOTD: "Tell me, Mr. Holder, do you think your irresponsible and even reckless broadsides against local law enforcement, and those of the president, have contributed in any way to a growing hate for and endangerment of our police officers? " --Mark Levin

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Movie Poster From 2012 Is Startlingly Prescient

I can't discern the name of the artist, but if someone recognizes the work, please let me know in the comments. This startlingly accurate poster is dated 2012, but it applies just as much today as it did in January of 2009.


Barack Obama, Eric Holder, Al Sharpton, and Bill DeBlasio own this madness.


U.S. College Chancellors Admit BDS Goal Is the Elimination of Israel

By Tammi Benjamin

Santa Cruz, CA, Dec. 18, 2014 – Twenty-two groups wrote to nine University of California (UC) Chancellors today, demanding they publicly state their commitment to upholding UC policies which prohibit academic student employees (ASEs) from using their instructional positions to promote a boycott of Israel.

The UC Regents Policy on Course Content prohibits ASEs from promoting political propaganda or advocacy in the classroom. UAW 2865, the union representing 13,000 graduate instructors on nine University of California (UC) campuses, voted last week to join the international campaign for “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” (BDS) against Israel.

“We represent 22 organizations with hundreds of thousands of members and supporters nationwide, who are deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of Jewish students at colleges and universities across the country in light of the rising tide of anti-Israel sentiment and the rapid growth of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on many campuses,” wrote the groups. “While we support the right of every member of UAW 2865 to exercise his or her freedom of speech outside of the instructional setting, we are greatly concerned that these union members, who are responsible for instructing hundreds of thousands of undergraduate students, will bring their unscholarly, politically motivated and antisemitic propaganda and advocacy into UC classrooms, where it certainly does not belong.”

The BDS movement has become increasingly explicit in expressing its ultimate goal of eliminating Israel. This goal was echoed by members of the UAW 2865 BDS Caucus panel at UC Berkeley last month, when they stated that the purpose of BDS is “isolating Zionism” and “bringing down Israel.” In embracing a movement that calls for the elimination of the world’s only Jewish state, UAW 2865 members are trafficking in open antisemitism.

Furthermore, the BDS movement calls for a campaign of anti-normalization whose goal is to delegitimize and silence anyone who accepts the legitimacy of Israel. On numerous college campuses, including at the University of California, aggressive anti-normalization campaigns have targeted Jewish and pro-Israel students for harassment, intimidation, bullying and physical assault.

MIKE LEE: How Illegal Aliens Will Receive Fast Track to Citizenship Under Obama’s Executive Amnesty

By Senator Mike Lee (R-UT)

As we all know, the President has recently announced executive action on immigration — what he calls “deferred action” for millions of aliens who are here illegally, but who have children who were born here and are therefore U.S. citizens. 

The President has repeatedly assured the American people that he is not creating a path to citizenship for those people.  But the President is not telling the truth.  He and his Administration have cleared the pathway to citizenship for millions of people who crossed our border illegally; they know that’s what they’ve done; and it is illegal.

Immigration law is very complicated, but here’s the bottom line:  If you are a foreign national and a parent of a U.S. citizen, when that child reaches age 21, assuming you haven’t committed certain crimes or done certain other things, you can get a green card and, eventually, citizenship. 

However, if you crossed the U.S. border illegally — “entered without inspection” as the law says — you first have to leave the country, wait a period of either 3 or 10 years before returning (depending on how long you had resided in the U.S.) and then come back into the United States lawfully in order to get back on the path to citizenship.

That’s how the system is designed to work. That’s what the law says.

But the President is now opening a huge loophole, using a program called “advance parole,” that will allow millions of illegal aliens, who are not currently eligible for citizenship, to bypass the rules and become eligible for green cards and eventually citizenship.

Here’s how it works:

Larwyn's Linx: 2 NYC Cops Executed in Revenge Attack for Eric Garner

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Nation

2 NYC Cops Executed in Revenge Attack for Eric Garner: GWP
NYPD Shooter Was Muslim: Sooper
NYPD cop killer: "I’m Putting Wings On Pigs Today": PoliceOne

More MS-13 gang members invading border in Texas: FAM
The Extraordinary Life of Barack Obama’s Imaginary Son: Stephen Miller
Where is Obama while cops are being executed? Golfing, of course: WZ

Cuba's new day: not freedom, an American president's betrayal: Ferrer
Saving Comrade Castro: Sultan Knish
Rand Just Doesn't Understand: Stephen F. Hayes

Primary Opposition Emerges for CRomnibus Backer Diane Black (R-TN): CHQ
Rahm Emanuel’s Son Robbed in “World Class” Chicago: RebelPundit
Prosecutor, Sheriff Say They Will Not Comply With I-594: Bob Owens

Economy

Fewer US-Born Americans Have Jobs Now Than In 2007: DC
Immigrant workers account for all employment growth since 2007: Exam
30% of U.S. population growth will be immigrants, 78 million by 2060: Exam

Scandal Central

Our Jails Are a Scandal : Kevin D. Williamson
US reportedly asks China to help curb North Korea's cyberattack abilities: Fox
Disturbing details in Darren Sharper rape case come out during hearing: NOLA

Climate & Energy

The 100-Year-Old Electric Car: Jay Leno
Global Warming, Empty Gestures: RWN
Is The Speedy Decline Of Oil Prices A Good Thing?: RWN

Media

Al Sharpton On NYPD Killings: I Never Encouraged Violence: WZ
Congratulations Al Sharpton-->Two NYPD Cops Killed Execution Style: Lid
Comcast / MSNBC Should Cancel Sharpton TODAY: DTG

Just 8 Days Ago In NYC, Protesters Chanted for Cop-Killing: RWN
Al Sharpton’s Group Got Exactly What They Demanded: Dead Cops: DownTrend
Video Shows NYPD Officers Literally Turning Their Backs On Mayor De Blasio: Surge

Baby, There’s a Lot of Hoden Angst Outside: Ed Driscoll
As Muslims flee to Maine, interpreter tells of their pain: Stripes
One Weird Trick From Dr. Claus To Make Your Life Perfect this Christmas: MOTUS

World

Supporting Repression and Torture in Cuba: Fay Voshell
Obama sends 1,000 paratroopers to Iraq to provide advice: RS
Obama sends four Gitmo detainees who were held for a decade back to Afghanistan: Scoop

UN Sending Tens of Thousands of Islamic Refugees to the U.S. Again This Year: Sara Noble
ISIS selling human organs harvested from living hostages and its own dead to fund terror: RWN
Surprise of the week: King Raul vows not to change anything at all: Carlos Eire

Geert Wilders to Be Tried for Thought Crime: MB
French Police Kill Knife-Wielding Man Who Attacked Them In Police Station, Yelling “Allahu Akbar!”: WZ
Venezuela is a Goner: AmInt

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

Sony Hackers Make New Demands… This Is What Happens When You Negotiate With Terrorists: Mac Slavo
The Day Einstein Feared Has Arrived: ZH
Driving the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S: Robb Report

Cornucopia

Life is beautiful: Ace
The Haircut: Bleeding Brain
Barry Mitsvah: Hopenchange

Sponsored by: Boehner REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS; Your step by step guide to replacing the SPEAKER!

QOTD: "Obama began his Castro speech with a lie, declaring, “The United States of America is changing its relationship with the people of Cuba.”

The Cuban people have no relationship with the United States because they have no free elections and no say in how they are governed. The only Cubans who have a relationship with the United States fled here on rafts.

Obama did not make his dirty deal with the Cuban people. He made it in a marathon phone call with the Cuban dictator. When Obama claims that his deal with Raul Castro represents a new relationship with the people of Cuba, he is endorsing a Communist dictatorship as the legitimate representative of the Cuban people.

This is a retroactive endorsement of the Castro regime and its entire history of mass murder and political terror. Obama is not trying to “open up” Cuba as he claimed. He likes Cuba just the way it is; Communist and closed.

Obama did not consult the Cuban people, just as he did not consult the American people. He disregarded the embargo, Congress, the Constitution and the freedom of the Cuban people. " --Daniel Greenfield

Saturday, December 20, 2014

What Mark Levin Thinks About the Ambitions of the Bush Family

By Kate Scanlon

Mark Levin was less than thrilled to hear that Jeb Bush is running for president.

On his radio show, Levin called “the ambition of a single family” a “serious matter.”

“Attempting to hold that office with three different members [of the same family] is worthy of discussion,” said Levin.

He added that this ambition “should concern people who live in a republic.”

Here are five reasons why he thinks so:

1. There Are Others Who Could Serve

“There’s a score of governors, senators and others who are highly qualified on many levels and in many ways to serve as president,” said Levin. “We need a rotation of individuals.”

2. The “Establishment” of the Republican Party Lacks the “Courage and Confidence” to Seek Out Other Candidates

“Why would the Republican Party turn to the same family over and over again? Were their presidencies so outstanding? They weren’t. They were good or fair,” said Levin. “Is the Republican Party this vapid, this weak?”

3. Only “Financiers and Corporatists” Have a “Vested Interest” in Jeb Bush

“There’s no great calling for Jeb Bush to run for president among the grassroots…. We’re not looking for managers of the welfare state, managers of the decline of America… We’re looking for patriots,” said Levin.

With his "Executive Order on Amnesty", Obama throws Americans workers under the bus

By Sen. Jeff Sessions

The U.S. Department of Commerce informs us that “today’s typical 18- to 34-year-old earns about $2,000 less per year (adjusted for inflation) than their counterpart in 1980.” That is a sharp and painful wage decline for young Americans. What has happened in the labor market since 1980?

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau offers this insight: “From 1930 to 1950, the foreign-born population of the United States declined from 14.2 million to 10.3 million. . . . [but s]ince 1970, the foreign-born population of the United States has increased rapidly due to large-scale immigration.”

Census Bureau statistics report that in 1980, the foreign-born population stood at 14.1 million.

From 1980 through 2013, the immigrant population tripled from 14 million to more than 41 million.

This large increase in the size of the immigrant population is the direct product of policies in Washington.

Legal immigration during the ’80s averaged around 600,000 a year. But since 1990 through today it has averaged about 1 million annually — meaning the annual rate almost doubled. The sustained large-scale flow of legal immigration, overwhelmingly lower-wage and lower-skilled, has placed substantial downward pressure on wages.

We have, right now, a very slack labor market, with more jobseekers than jobs.

The White House has itself estimated that are three unemployed persons for each one job opening. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that, in the construction industry, there as seven unemployed persons for each available job opening.

This large-scale immigration flow, paired with the forces of globalization and automation, has made it ever more difficult for American workers to earn a wage that can support a family.

Consider this report just published in the New York Times:

The 5 Biggest Lies From President Obama's Friday Press Conference

Josh Siegel at the Daily Signal provides us with some transcripts from one of Emperor Obama's rare press conferences. What struck me about Dear Leader's answers is that virtually every significant assertion was a blatant and unconscionable lie. Consider:

Obama, on Sony’s decision to cancel the release of “The Interview” (the FBI confirmed that North Korea did, in fact, carry out a cyber attack on Sony):

“I am sympathetic to the concerns they faced, but having said that, yes, I think they made a mistake. I wish they had spoken to me first. I would have told them don’t get into a pattern where you’re intimidated by these kinds of criminal attacks.


In fact, Sony CEO Michael Lynton responded on CNN that Czar Obama was full of it: "...the president, the press and the public are mistaken... We do not own movie theaters. We cannot determine whether or not a movie will be played in movie theaters! I don't know exactly whether he understands the sequence of events that led up to the movie not being shown in the movie theaters. Therefore I would disagree with the notion that it was a mistake."

On relations with the new Republican-controlled Congress in 2014:

“I am sincere when I say I want to work with the new Congress to get things done to make sure government is better and smarter. We saw during the lame duck that perhaps a spirit of compromise may be coming to the fore. I take Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader McConnell at their word.”


The truth, as Democrats and Republicans alike admit, is that Obama never works with Congress directly, never compromises, and despises spending any time on the business of government.

So the notion that Obama "wants to work with the new Congress" is as laughable as it is disingenuous.

On his use of executive actions:

“I am energized and excited and I won’t be stopping for a minute in an effort to make life better for ordinary Americans... Where I see a big problem and opportunity to help the American people, and I am within lawful authority to do it, I will do it.”


As federal judges have already ruled -- in strenuous language -- Obama's executive actions are blatantly unconstitutional and unlawful. For example, Judge Arthur J. Schwab, ruling in a deportation case earlier this week, wrote that "President Obama’s unilateral legislative action violates the separation of powers provided for in the United States Constitution as well as the Take Care Clause, and therefore, is unconstitutional."

Liberal law professor Jonathan Turley of Georgetown likewise ripped Obama's executive order as blatantly outside the scope of lawful behavior: "What the President is suggesting is tearing at the very fabric of the constitution... I always tell my friends on the Democratic side, we will rue the day when we helped create this uber presidency. What the Democrats are creating is something very very dangerous."

On the Keystone pipeline (incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said this will be Congress’ first order of business):

“It won’t be a huge benefit to U.S. consumers. It will not be a nominal benefit to U.S. consumers. When you consider what we could be doing if we rebuild roads and bridges, there are lot more direct ways to create well paying construction jobs.


Well paying construction jobs? Like those the Stimulus was supposed to create? As anyone who has graduated from sixth grade could tell you, Keystone would create "thousands of jobs", increase "economic security for the U.S.", and -- unlike Obama's failed "Stimulus" -- is actually "shovel-ready".

On the state of black America:

“Like the rest of America, black America in the aggregate is better off than when I came into office."


Since Obama took office, unemployment, poverty, and dependency on government are all up for vast segments of the black community. And, of course, as even the ludicrously biased Politico admits, race relations have worsened dramatically under Obama.

In short, Obama's ridiculous press conference was a cacophony of lies. It was a symphony of propaganda that perfectly befits the most lawless and most deceptive president in American history.


Hat tip: BadBlue News.

Larwyn's Linx: ‘We’ve Had Enough Bushes’

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

‘We’ve Had Enough Bushes’: Jen Kuznicki
Hillary Was Behind Cuba Deal: WFB
Rand Paul's Cuba Moment: Amy Miller

White House Fears 'President Cruz' Will Overturn Exec Amnesty: Breitbart
Sony exec fires back at President Obama: Frank Pallotta
Obama praises LeBron James for wearing 'I can't breathe' shirt: The Hill

Should Mark Levin -- or Peter Wehner -- Leave The GOP?: Dan Riehl
Boston Bombing Victim Confronts "Free Jahar" Protesters: RWN
U.S. College Chancellors Admit BDS Goal Is “Bringing Down Israel”: Sentinel

Obama's Year-Ending Presser: But I’m Not Done Yet!: MOTUS
CT Supreme Court: Knives, Batons Protected By 2nd Amendment: Bob Owens
Two More People Burned Alive During Possible Gang Violence: Treehouse

Economy

IRS Commissioner: cutting our budget means civilization is doomed: RS
Revisiting Krugman's idiocy, re: Japan: Matt Stoller
How crony capitalism is undermining US entrepreneurship: James Pethokoukis

Scandal Central

NIH: No $$$ for Ebola Vaccine, $100 Mil for Meditation: Daniel Greenfield
Craven Legislators Form Secretive Gun Control Group: Bob Owens
Woman who started viral “I’ll ride with you” story admits it was totally fake: Poor Richard

NY Mayor de Blasio Claims City Open for All Illegals, But Builds Fence Around His Own Home: LibertyNews
Two Penn. Democrats Indicted for Taking Bribes to Oppose Voter ID Laws: LibertyNews
Parents left with $1million in hospital bills after toddler son disfigured in botched SWAT raid: DailyMail

Climate & Energy

EPA sets first national standard for coal waste: CNS
EPA punts decision on methane regs: The Hill
EPA chief: Extreme cold weather boosting global warming plan: Susan Page

Media

No Superheroes In ‘The Interview’ Capitulation: Jonah Goldberg
George Clooney discovers the essential uselessness of the Hollywood he helped create: Moe Lane
Was 'The Washington Post' Hacked? (Or Is It Snowing In Hell?): Lid

Courting Disaster: View From the Porch
One In Five People Who Write For Rolling Stone Are Morons: Ann Coulter
“I’m Too Spooky for My Soul; Too Sexy, In My Soul”: MOTUS

World

Excuse Me, But We Are Not “Isolationists”: Dana Loesch
REPORT: Hamas diverting reconstruction materials to repair damaged tunnels into Israel: Scoop
The Countdown to the Next Gaza Conflict Has Begun: Yaakov Lappin

It's Kim's World. We Just Live in It.: Mark Steyn
Sony hack: China may have helped North Korea, US states: Telegraph
New Photos of Russian Planes intercepted by Norwegian Fighter Jets: Aviationist

State Department: ‘The Interview’ and Mohammad Film We Condemned NOT In 'Same Category': TR
Cuba’s dissident movement react to Obama’s unilateral concessions to the apartheid Castro dictatorship: Babalu
Outrage in India as alleged mastermind of Mumbai mass terror attacks is released on bail by Pakistan: BNI

Sci-Tech (courtesy BadBlue Tech News)

What Ever Happened to Bitcoin?: LI
Why Is Yahoo Still So Bad At The Basics?: TC
The Real Thing the Sony Hack Exposes Is Hypocrisy: Appy Geek

Cornucopia

Undeniable Truth: LL101
Iconic Hollywood Sign Gets an Updated: Crashr
Shocking photo reveals where Kim Jong-un got idea to target, intimidate filmmakers: Twitchy

Image: Pic Of The Day: Obama Sniffs Cuban Cigar Hours After Lifting Embargo
Sponsored by: Boehner REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS; Your step by step guide to replacing the SPEAKER!

QOTD: "...justifying his new, unilateral (remember when that used to be a bad thing?) Cuba policy, Barry told us:

“If you’ve done the same thing for 50 years and nothing’s changed you should try something different if you want a different outcome.”

Maybe he should send the same message to his own party, because after 50 years and trillions of dollars, the results of the Great Society’s War on Poverty are less than spectacular..." --MOTUS

Friday, December 19, 2014

China Tests Ballistic Missile That Uses Guidance Technology Traded by Bill Clinton for Campaign Donations

By Investor's Business Daily

Defense: China has just tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile that can deliver up to 10 independently targeted nuclear warheads, using technology given to them on President Clinton's watch to launch communications satellites.

The Dec. 13 test of the DF-41 was the third for the new weapon. But it marked the first test of a multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle, or MIRV, technology and raises by an order of magnitude the nuclear threat to the U.S. as China continues its massive arms buildup. And disturbingly, the threat is in large part of our own making.

"The DF-4, which could be deployed as early as 2015, may carry up to 10 MIRVs, and have a range as far as 7,456 miles, allowing it to target the entire continental United States," according to the latest report produced for Congress by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

"China could use MIRVs to deliver nuclear warheads on major U.S. cities and military facilities as a means of overwhelming (existing) U.S. ballistic missile defenses," the report added.